No, I hadn't heard of Ben Carson, but I haven't been keeping up with the latest on TN. Like I said, all that happened to me years ago, and I only have an occaisonal problem now and then, and it's not enough that I would consider having any kind of medical procedure for it. Advil takes care of it these days. What he's doing sounds wonderful, hopefully it gets good results for the majority of his patients.

And part of my problem is that all of that led me to not trust most doctors. Several of them, specialists in their fields, said they'd "cure" me and get rid of the pain, and it didn't happen. I'd get my hopes up each time, only to be disappointed. I may have a small bout of pain or discomfort now and then (and it's pretty rare, and only during times of severe stress) but it's not enough to make me seek out medical help. I think in my case, eventually a combination of procedures that had been done plus a combination of meds plus other circumstances finally got me relief from the pain, but it sure can be a long, miserable road. I am 99% better than I was in the days I was dealing with all that, and have been way better for many years now.

Dotsie, hope you're feeling better, let us know how your appt with the neurologist goes. By the way, I have known people who've had TN flare-ups that have come and gone and never happened to them again. Praying you'll be one of the lucky ones, and that you find relief soon. What I really hope is that you don't have to go thru a bunch of crap and misery to find what works for you to take care of this.